Six ways the recent drug raids have affected Brockton

Saturday

Apr 26, 2014 at 9:42 PMApr 26, 2014 at 9:51 PM

The Brockton Police Department has led or participated in eight drug raids since April 7.

Staff Reporter

BROCKTON – The Brockton Police Department has led or participated in eight drug raids since April 7, leading to numerous arrests and seizure of large quantities of drugs and money. Here are six ways those raids have affected the city.

Arrests

1. The Brockton Police Department arrested a total of 20 individuals from several local cities and towns during the raids, including residents from Brockton, Holbrook, Marshfield and Taunton.

The largest raid in terms of arrests came on April 23 when police arrested six individuals at 427 Centre St., Brockton.

Drugs

2. A substantial amount of drugs was taken off of the streets through the raids, including 26 ounces of heroin with a street value of about $71,000.

Less than an ounce of cocaine was also seized during the raids as well as an undisclosed amount of crack cocaine, amphetamine pills and marijuana.

Guns and ammunition

3. While violent crime has spiked on the streets of Brockton in recent weeks, police seized multiple handguns during the drug raids.

Three days later on April 10, police recovered a .38-caliber revolver and ammunition during a raid at 121 Walnut St., Brockton.

On April 15, police seized two guns, a .357 revolver and a .38 revolver at 101 Studley, Ave., Brockton.

Cash

4. The raids also netted a windfall of cash for police, totaling $30,180 over the course of the eight raids.

Police hit the jackpot on the April 23 raid at 427 Centre St. when they discovered $25,000 at the residence.

A raid conducted earlier that day at 38 Sheppard St., Brockton brought in the second-highest amount of money with $1,800 seized at the residence.

Top 50

5. The Brockton Police Department crossed two more names off of its Top 50 repeat offenders list during the raids after they nabbed Placido Pereira, 28, of 101 Studley Ave., Brockton, and Jonathan Andrade, 32, of Woodlawn Ave., Holbrook.

Pereira was arrested at his home during the April 15 raid and charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm without an FID card, two counts of unlawful possession of ammunition and one count of unlawful possession with intent to distribute a Class D substance.

Andrade was one of the six individuals arrested during the April 23 raid at 427 Centre St. He was charged with trafficking in heroin, possession with intent to distribute a class B substance (cocaine), possession with intent to distribute a class D substance, conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substances Act and possession of drugs in a school zone.

Lingering concerns

6. While the drug busts earned praise for the Brockton Police Department, concerns over crime continue to linger.

“The job isn’t over, but they are definitely on a good path,” said Councilor-at-large Shaynah Barnes. “I’m glad that there are more guns and drugs off street.”

However, Barnes would also like to see arrests made in two shootings that took place earlier this month that left two men dead and remain unsolved.

“I want them to remember the other part of law enforcement, investigating crimes and solving murders,” Barnes said.

The raids also do not address the crop of new dealers who will be lured by the lucrative profits of the drug industry to take the place of the dealers now behind bars.

While the raids will suppress visible activity for a period of time, Mitch Librett, a criminal justice professor at Bridgewater State University, said that action must be taken at the national level to make a more significant impact in the heroin epidemic.

“Before we can make a dent in the heroin problem we have to make a dent in the availability at a national level,” Librett said.